Qui to Join Tock, the New Dining Tickets Platform From Alinea’s Nick Kokonas

Paul Qui's flagship restaurant Qui launched Austin's first-ever ticketed tasting room earlier this year, and now they're joining an elite group of restaurants on Tock. Alinea's Nick Kokonas will launch the ticketing platform in 2015 with pilot restaurants including The French Laundry and Alinea. In addition to ticketed dining, Tock offers "dynamic deposit tickets" which allows restaurants to offer discounts, zero-deposit tickets (aka traditional reservations), and a great deal of other options.

According to a rep for the restaurant, to start Qui will use the system sell tickets to their tasting room and for special events. Currently, they're running what Nick Kokonas tells Eater via email is a "legacy system," which pilot restaurant are using "so that we all may learn more about how restaurants and customers may benefit from various iterations and types of tickets."  Tock will be a system "redesigned from the ground up to be more elegant, beautiful, and user friendly."

Qui also accepts traditional reservations for their prix fixe dining room, and offers a casual a la carte menu on their patio. Tickets for the tasting room currently cost $120 and are accessible via Qui's website.

Update! Qui's general manager Bill Mann shares the following statement about Tock's pilot program:

We couldn't be more excited or pleased to be included in the first group of restaurants using the Legacy Tock program for our tasting room and for special events at qui. We will be joining a group of restaurants using Tock that we look up to and admire, and are humbled to be invited to use the system.

The short answer as to why we switched to Tock is because of the program's superior design and stability. The program is very easy to use for both restaurant and guest, and has proven success with the Alinea group of restaurants. All of the other benefits of using Tock have been clearly outlined by Nick in his blog post manifesto, and I would decline to attempt to improve upon his explanation. His notes on transparency especially ring true for us, as we are constantly seeking to find ways to connect more directly with our guests. When we develop a dish, a menu, and ultimately an experience, we are presenting it honestly, and making a reservation and accepting payment for what we are offering should be just as honest and open of a transaction. We want an open line of communication with our guests from the very first point of contact, and Tock provides a great forum for that.